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Sunday, February 16, 2014

Well, the 2014 Olympics in Sochi started over a week ago, so I suppose I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention something about it on here. As of last count, Canada has 14 medals, tying up in fourth for total medal earnings so far. As for anything else to do with the Games, I'm about as good a person to ask as a brick wall... I honestly haven't watched any of them myself except for a few moments here and there when my sister flips the TV to watch the ice dancing.

That said, the whole global (i.e. non-sport) element behind the games is something more my speed, and the whole multi-national dimension is a great way of teaching world customs, history, geography and cultural norms to our class. For our Olympic-themed cooking day, I tried to blend the Greek history and symbolism of the Games with a kid-friendly, easy-to make cookie dough, resulting in a barely modified traditional Greek festival cookie (usually served at Easter), laced with sesame seeds (an ancient symbol of immortality and prosperity), glazed with honey and egg (for more prosperity and good fortune) and finally shaped like the famous rings of the Olympic Games. Instead of milk or water in the dough, fresh-squeezed orange juice added a sweet-tart note that cut the richness of the butter.

Did I tell my kids about all that symbolism? Well, yes, in a way. But I wasn't about to turn a fun morning of cookie making into a history lesson - they have enough time left for them in school to delve into those hidden meanings! My reward was seeing the looks on their faces when they tasted their handiwork. Imagine, cookies that don't come from a box!